The count down is on. As soon as school is out we are doing a mini vacation to…Butler County, Ohio. If you haven’t taken time to see all the rich history and fabulous attractions that are offered in Ohio you should. Ohio has so many great spots to visit for a day or a stay.
I love to support our local economy, Visit Butler County, Ohio has started a new campaign to remind visitors that there are some unique pretty awesome businesses in the area that call Butler County home.
Recently, a variety of new small businesses have sprung up throughout the region and contributed to the revitalization of the area. A few of these businesses include an artisan chocolate shop called Karma In The Kitchen, a florist called Two Little Buds Florist that uses locally grown flowers from a flower farm in region and a custom furniture company called First Ward Wood Company that gives new life to old materials and is run by two sons and their father.
As you plan to embark on stay-cations or vacations this spring and summer, remember to support these and other local business along their way. Karma in the Kitchen can ship direct to you or to a special person you want to surprise, Two Little Buds offers these fabulous “Farm to Vase” workshops and First Ward Wood Co does these amazing custom pieces for their clients with some serious family heritage. There are so many stories to discover right here in Ohio.
Stay tuned on social media and we will share our adventures as the Reese clan explores Butler County. Did I mention we are going to blaze through the Donut Trail? Summer can’t get here fast enough.

“We are going downtown to the Big City”, was a phrase I always got excited for as a little country kiddo. We would go to Lazarus to see Santa or do a little back to school shopping and admire the huge sky scrapers. When Grandma wanted to do to a special lunch and shop we would visit Spinnakers and sit by the window and people watch the city scene. In H.S. my choir would sing in the center of City Center Mall. Going to the Big City (we still call it this with the children) was always made into an event no matter what the occasion. While unfortunately none of these places exist any more, one of the most iconic skyscrapers in Columbus, the LeVeque Tower is still standing strong. The Tower used to be a hotel back in the 20’s and is about to make its grand comeback as one of the most dazzling places to rest your head or entertain in our great city.

Located in the heart of downtown Columbus, the historic Hotel LeVeque shimmers brilliantly as the star (hotel staff are called stars) of the Columbus skyline. Guests will be dazzled by the authentic interior on the 5-10th floors that stirs together history, local business and modern design in each of the 149 rooms. Each evening you will come home to a sweet and savory treat made by local bakery Sadie Baby Sweets. Unwind in your amazing shower, (yes I have an obsession with showers and hardware), using local entrepreneur Cliff Original out of this world soaps, lotions and chap stick. If you are looking for luxury accommodations, flexible meeting space, a private dining room, bar and high end restaurant, hotel LeVeque is the place to be. They say Hotel LeVeque will give guests a guiding light to a sophisticated and indulgent escape, from sunrise to sunset for good reason. The focal point in the entry is the grand light sculpture, evening light show is sure to calm your mind after a busy day of travel or work. You will notice the celestial theme throughout the hotel from top to bottom. Each room has a relaxing and rejuvenating celestial show you can turn on and fall asleep as if you were under the stars. The stars uniforms are designed by local designer Liz Bourgeois. Look close, it is the tower flipped upside down and the vintage Gatsby style meets modern is just my style. I love the blouse some how I need to figure out how to get my hands on one.

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I was on the hard hat tour so many of the areas are not complete. There is going to be a speak easy/bar and restaurant and home to Columbus only full service spa in a hotel. I can not wait to visit when complete. They will serve cocktails with a local twist as well a local fare on their rotational menu. There is so much history in this building and the owners have truly designed it to be a one of a kind just like our autograph, it will be in the autograph collection of hotels.

This hotel will make its grand debut in March, you can book your overnight or event now. They are located next to the Palace Theater and can partner with the gorgeous Palace for weddings and larger events to make the perfect special occasion. Visiting for work/pleasure or just want a memorable night in the Big City downtown, this hotel will make a lasting impression.

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I want to share with you about my big buzz this week. I am a mom so to talk about me having a buzz seems liberal and wild right?!

*read with caution it’s a real stinger!

I checked my right winged viewpoints at the door and took on this crazy venture.

What a fascinating group of friends. We got face time with Bayer CEO Condon.

I just spent the last few days with a group of bloggers. I had only met one of them in person before so the others I only knew through the internet…kind of crazy! You never know what to expect when you get a group of bloggers from across the country together. It is non-stop talking, sharing, commenting, eating and social media madness….did I mention eating? When in the south you get your fair share of chicken n biscuits, sweet tea and southern comfort! My waist line does not love me right now for all the delicious calories I ate and drank but tomorrow is a new day right!?

There is this very innovative company you may have heard about them before by the name of Bayer. Bayer is doing big things in a vast array of areas from lawn care, medical, animal care and plants. We had the chance to visit the Headquarters in North Carolina.

We were there to tour the brand new facilities, Bee Care Center and greenhouses while celebrating the ground breaking of yet another new state of the art greenhouse. I am about as adventures as they come, but there are a few things that terrify me…Bees and Snakes.

These are some of the honey bees we got to explore in their hive.

Some would avoid their fears but I decided to take these Honey Bees head on. We toured the Bee Care Center and I may have gotten an adrenaline….. Buzz.

From left to right is Katie Pinke, Jenny Schweigert and me! We put on our Bee suites and headed out into the pollinator garden.

I sucked in my gut from all the chicken and biscuits, put on my big girl pants and I made it through the tour and even had a little fun with my fear.

There are a lot of rumors about Honey Bees. It is a Fact that I do not like them but I understand how important they are to our environment.

So the good news is that Honey Bees are not on the verge of extinction. The number of bee colonies in North America declined after WWII. Since the 90’s the number of colonies has remained stable in the US and has actually increased by 45% worldwide.

I hear a lot about bee health and concern over pesticide use. Like most major issues there are multiple factors affecting the bees such as parasites, diseases, inadequate nutrition, lack of forage, off label pesticide use and even hive management practices.

There is this little creature called a Varroa mite which is one of the largest threats to the honey bee. This is a really funny photo, it is a blown up varroa mite. If my friend Katie was a bee this is the size that the mite would be.

My son Parker asked me upon my return “Mom, how can you care for the Bees when you don’t even care for bees?” This is a good question. We all should care for the bees even if we are scared of their stinger. The easiest way to take part in helping our bees is to join the Feed a Bee initiative. Bayer has taken the lead to expand the forage for bees in 2015. They want to grow 50 million flowers providing additional acreage for the bees. Feed a Bee by planting Pollinator Wildflowers!

I am happy to report I am no longer buzzing after my visit and my right winged mind is a little more open when it comes to the Bee population.

This fish was delightful, cut and fried with the head on, it was so tender it just pulled apart with chop sticks!

Never did I think I would ever make it to China. I have now been blessed with two trips to China to share about American Soybean production and Biotechnology. I share about my trip last fall to China.

Late last September I was given the opportunity to travel to China on behalf of the United States Soybean Export Council (USSEC). Myself, 3 other farm moms, Linda our trip coordinator and amazing interpreter Jane made a trip to the other side of the world. My wonderful friend Sara from Saras-House did a perfect job explaining why we took this trip and how important this trip was to American Agriculture as did my friend LaVell from Growing for Tomorrow.
Their money Yuan or RMB are colorful bills with a few coins. It takes about 6.12 RMB to equal $1 American dollar. They do love American money over there, several of the shopping places we stopped at preferred American money as long as it was not “dirty”. They wanted perfect bills. Beijing is a very modern clean city with amazing architecture and subway system. It is a huge city about the size of New York and L.A. combined. I would never have thought China would have great beer, I am not even a huge beer fan but it was refreshing and tasty if you enjoy a light beer. We got to try several different kinds and these were my favorites. They have a crisp clean taste. This is also one of my most favorite photos of our translators mom who spoke no English but was adorable and we loved spending time with her, she was a former educator in China. Meal time is a little different when you eat out in China, everything is brought family style and you share your items with those sitting at the table. Rice was served as a side item not with every meal like when we eat Chinese food in America. Dessert was offered very little and I did not see much chocolate. Most of their candy is more fruity than chocolate. Meal time is definitely a time for friends and family, people sit down relax and share food and fellowship much like we do in America. Their hot tea was not what I expected either. It was interesting for certain not very strong. Water quality is an issue, we drank only bottled water (even to brush our teeth) and people who live in China always boil their water before drinking. If you order a glass of water it will come boiling as it is the only way safe to drink.

How can you travel all the way to China and not see the Great Wall of China? We did not have much down time but did take a half day to drive out to the countryside and experience the Great Wall of China! The air is always a little hazy due to air pollution (which is another issue). Rain was moving in on us as we walked on the wall. This is one of the most amazing things I have gotten to experience, it was truly breathtaking.

Another very interesting component was the toilets. Our hotel had a very American toilet but when we went out in the countryside or more traditional Chinese areas, this is what their toilets look like. You get a great leg workout just using the bathroom in China and don’t forget to take your tissues along just in case ladies! Storage of crops is also somewhat different. This is how corn is stored, under plastic along the roadside. The average farm size in China is less than 1 acre. Their storage an farming is much smaller and less precise than how we farm in the U.S.A. We are so very lucky to have the technology and modern farm practices.

This is a sample of the China nightlife. Lots of lights everywhere and people all over. I also had a wool blazer custom made and lined in silk while I was there. They are not only excellent seamstresses but very fast. Made to order blazer overnight!